Hey everyone, I'm in a bit of a bind and could use your expertise. I've been using my computer without any major issues until today. Here's the setup: ASUS Prime Z790-P WiFi, Intel i7-14700K, MSI MPG A850G PSU, RTX 4070 Ti, and 64GB DDR5 RAM with two M.2 SSDs. Yesterday, while installing a tiny screw for an M.2 drive, my screwdriver and screw fell on the motherboard, but the PC was off at the time. There were no sparks or unusual smells, and everything worked fine after that session.
However, this morning, I tried to power it up and... nothing. No fans, no lights, just a dim amber light on the LAN port. I've reseated everything, checked all the cables, performed the PSU test, and even cleared the CMOS. The motherboard seems dead aside from that LAN light. Do you think the motherboard might have been shorted during the incident? Also, if I need to replace it, how does that affect Windows activation and transferring my data? I appreciate any help or advice you can offer!
5 Answers
Have you tried switching around the RAM slots? Sometimes that can make a difference. If you have a store nearby, it might be worth buying a different set just to test it out and then return them if you don't need them. I've dealt with similar issues where it turned out to be RAM-related.
That's tough! I’d suggest stripping everything down to just the motherboard and the display, then add components back one at a time. If the system won’t post with just the motherboard and onboard graphics, you might be in trouble. But I highly doubt the screw incident caused serious damage unless the system was powered on at the time.
Good call! I actually did strip it down, and after reconnecting everything piece by piece, I was able to boot up again. Thanks for the advice!
I've seen dead M.2 SSDs prevent a PC from booting, so you might want to remove the SSD and see if that resolves the issue. It’s worth a shot since you never know!
One last thing – try unplugging the front panel power switch cable from the motherboard and then manually shorting the power pins with a screwdriver. Sometimes, the case power button can malfunction without you realizing it.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I already tried that in the early stages and it didn’t work.
It sounds like you might have unplugged the power switch header unintentionally. That LAN light means there’s some power, but your board isn’t responding to the power-on signal. Double-check those connections just to be sure!
Thanks for the tip! I did check the power switch header, and it’s plugged in correctly. I even tried shorting the pins with a screwdriver, but still no response.
That’s interesting! I had a similar issue last week; after reseating the RAM a few times, my PC finally booted up. But now it isn’t powering on at all, despite my efforts.